Feds add north state to 'exceptional' drought classification

The federal government's weekly report on drought conditions released Thursday showed things in California have gone from bad to worse.

More than 58 percent of the state is now considered to be in an "exceptional" drought, the worst ranking in the weekly Drought Monitor prepared by the National Drought Mitigation Center.

That's up in one week from 36 percent of the state classified as being in exceptional drought.

Last week the Sacramento Valley and most of Northern California were one level lower — extreme drought. Now, only the extreme north and southeast parts of the state escape the worst classification.

"Increasingly," the report states, "drought indicators point to the fact that conditions are not appreciably better in Northern California than in central and southern sections of the state."

The report said the state's 154 reservoirs are "one year's worth" short of water for this time of year, with just 60 percent of the historical amount. In total, there are 17.3 million acre-feet in storage, with the average annual summer drawdown in 2012 and 2013 being 11.5 million acre feet.

The report is more a confirmation of what people here are seeing than a revelation. Lake Oroville is just 36 percent full, 49 percent of the historical average for this time of year. There's 1.26 million acre-feet in storage, while normally there'd be 2.59 million acre-feet.

Shasta Lake is about the same — 35 percent full, 49 percent of normal, with 1.58 million acre-feet in storage.